Czechia to Launch Second Project to Purchase Ammunition for Ukraine
The Czech Ministry of Defence is preparing to launch a second initiative to supply artillery ammunition to Ukraine in 2025, which will involve Czech manufacturers.
The head of the Czech Ministry of Defence, Jana Černochová, told Deník N about this in an interview.
The project under the working title Initiative 2025 will preliminarily cover five Czech arms companies that will produce shells for Ukraine at the expense of European donors.
‘This is a natural extension of the mechanism that is already in place. In addition, the sooner donors allocate funds, the sooner our companies will sign long-term contracts,’ Černochová explained.
According to Deník N, the project will involve Czechoslovak Group, STV Group, Omnipol from Ompo Holding, Colt CZ Group SE, owned by Česká zbrojovka, and the DSS arms company.
The Agency for Intergovernmental Defence Cooperation under the Czech Ministry of Defence is currently collecting information on what these companies can supply to Ukraine next year. Prague will act as an intermediary between donors - European countries - and these companies.
Tomáš Kopečný, the Czech government's commissioner for Ukraine's reconstruction, told Deník N that the donors should be mainly European countries, including Denmark, the Netherlands and Germany. Negotiations on financial support could begin as early as the end of summer, he predicts.
The current Czech initiative to supply Ukraine with shells covers 15 countries. Within its framework, the Czech Republic is looking for artillery ammunition for Ukraine in the European Union and beyond.
It is believed that the Czech initiative can provide the Ukrainian Armed Forces with 50,000 to 100,000 large-calibre shells per month.